How Can I Take Perfect Product Shots?

If you've just hopped aboard the new MyChef™ platform, then you're about to discover that, unlike most e-commerce sites that let you sign up and mind your own business, we mind your business for you—in a healthy relationship sort of way, of course.

Or process is (a little) obsessive, or as we put it in our introductions, "We take care of your brand and your products as if you were our first born, our only child, like proud parents on graduation day, or that overzealous partner—without the crazy."

We do ask you a lot of questions upon sign-up, and even more questions when you add products to your store, in order for us to gain a better understanding of your craft, and see the best ways—yes, many ways—to present you to your target audience.

One of the ways by which we ensure your brand creates a glimmer in our buyers' eyes, is our hands-on approach in curating the products you put on our store. This of course, entails putting up "instagrammable" pictures of your goods, so that you look good, too. Here are the three types of product shots you'll see on the MyChef™ Store, and how to take them:

THE COVER SHOT is aptly called, because it is the very first image of a product that you'll see when you browse through the MyChef™ Store.

This type of shot is also called a "situational shot", as it mimics a real-life situation by placing objects around the product that you might find say, while you're using or consuming the product.

Prescribed Lighting and Phone/Camera Settings:

• Lighting: Natural daylight (no flash)
• Temperature: AWB (auto white balance)
• Orientation: Landscape (horizontal)
  
• Framing: Centered, up-front
  
• Set/Background: Actual location

Styling and Shot Composition:

To build the "situation" around the product, select objects that are immediately associated with the experience of the product. For example, a yogurt drink can be poured in a glass, and is best paired with a bowl of fresh fruits for a healthy snack combo. So, on the table, you can put a cutting board, a knife, whole fruits, a bowl with cut fruits, and a fork to eat the fruits with. The result emulates a snack time vibe.

This shot was taken around 5:00 in the afternoon, near a window, taking advantage of natural lighting that is not as harsh as sunlight around 9:00-10:00 in the morning. A good rule to observe is to position your product in a spot where light is coming from one direction, in this case, the window on the right, so that it casts mild shadows on the left, which adds drama to the shot.

THE FLATLAY is a creative way to draw interest to your product. It tells shoppers that, besides consuming your food, they can also have fun with it, especially if they are insta-savvy fellas.

Prescribed Lighting and Phone/Camera Settings:

• Lighting: Natural daylight (no flash)
  
• Set/Background: Plain, matte white surface
  
• Temperature: AWB (auto white balance)
  
• Orientation: Landscape (horizontal)
  
• Framing: Freestyle
  

Styling and Shot Composition:

The idea here is to highlight what the product is all about, or the thought process behind it. Our "Tropical Fruit Yogurt Drink" for example, is blended with a variety of tropical fruits, so we used fruits to accentuate it with. If your product is a chocolate chip cookie, then cover your surface with chocolate chips, flour, eggs, a wire whisk, a mixing bowl, a baking tray, and other related objects.

This flatlay was also shot in front of the window, much closer this time, with the sunlight coming from the upper part of the frame. The camera is directly above the product layout.

THE STUDIO SHOT can be shot even without a studio! As you can see on the outtake above, all we used is a cheap roll of white bristol paper or "cartolina" which you can buy from the bookstore. Here's the outcome of the shot:

The point of the studio shot is to let your product stand out without a lot of distraction, for the buyers to see it in better detail.

Prescribed Lighting and Phone/Camera Settings:

• Lighting: Natural daylight (no flash)
  
• Set/Background: Plain, matte white sheet of paper
  
• Temperature: AWB (auto white balance)
  
• Orientation: Landscape (horizontal)
  
• Framing: Centered, up-front

Styling and Shot Composition:

Attach the paper backdrop to a vertical wall or surface, and let the other end roll on the flat surface towards the camera, forming a slope as seen on the first photo. This tricks the eye into thinking the product is sitting a huge white space, and allows light to bounce around the product. Accent your product very minimally, and tilt its face towards the source of light to create subtle shadows behind it for a feeling of depth.

In case you don't have the time or resources to shoot great images of your products, MyChef™ offers the service for free to 1 Star, 2 star, and 3 Star Partner Makers, or as an add-on Business Solutions deal for partners on the Free Plan. Just hit us up about it!

Why do we require high quality photos? Because the quality of your photos indicate attention to detail—the same attention we know you pour into making your goods. We want that to come across to buyers. Apart from that, we'll also use the photos to blog about you, and talk about you on our social media channels.